Gaming
Games
An inside look at Ben Stokes’ new dedicated Call of Duty Warzone PC rig
England cricket star and lifelong gamer, Ben Stokes, chats about his new-found love for Call of Duty: Warzone and what that could mean for his future career.
Ben Stokes has dedicated a lot of time over the past year to playing Call of Duty: Warzone, and has become something of a trend-setter amongst athletes when it comes to playing video games in between important fixtures.
Whether you’re a pro or an amateur like myself, you just want to give yourself the best opportunity to play the games the way you want to
“Everyone’s got such a huge interest in gaming now, it’s incredible how much time it’s taking up in people’s lives – whether that’s because it’s what they love doing, or whether it’s because it’s a great way for them to switch off,” he tells us when we ask why he’s been drawn in by this intense, competitive online game over the past 12 months. “It’s a great way for athletes to switch off because Warzone is huge in the professional sport world – and in the world of people with 9-to-5 jobs – for the same reason: you can just relax and chill out playing online games.”
Ben Stokes' home gaming setup is legit
© Greg Coleman / Red Bull Content Pool
Stokes has drawn some criticism from other athletes for his Warzone habit – “when you’re streaming, you get those daft people that comment and say things like ‘you should spend more time in the nets than playing Call of Duty’,” he tells us – but Stokes stands by his newly-rediscovered love of gaming.
“I got into Warzone because I was walking down a high street in Auckland, New Zealand, and just picked up an Xbox with Jofra Archer. I’ve always loved gaming, but I’ve never taken a gaming console away with me since Warzone kicked off. In an Auckland gaming shop, I picked up an Xbox controller, the console and Call of Duty and I’ve been on it ever since. It was on a whim; I just said to Jofra ‘you know what, I’m gonna go get myself an Xbox’ and I asked if he wanted to come down and he was like, ‘yeah’."
Ben's gaming den was assembled by specialists We Are Collider
© We Are Collider
But a console doesn’t always cut it; especially not when you want to stream as well as game. Inspired by the high-end setup at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere London, Stokes now has a specialist gaming rig; something that lets him play the way he wants – giving him complete control of Warzone, and his streaming setup.
“I jumped to PC from Xbox mostly for ease; when I’m travelling around, an Xbox can be quite space-consuming, but having a gaming PC laptop that I can carry around with me whilst I’m touring is a lot easier. And now I’ve got this proper setup at home, too, you can enjoy the quality and the experience of the gameplay more. A gaming laptop compared to consoles is better; you can adjust the field of view, the resolution – all that makes the experience, compared to console, better for me. Whether you’re a pro or an amateur like myself, you just want to give yourself the best opportunity to play the games the way you want to.”
"We were asked to create the perfect gaming/streaming rig for Ben, which used only the best equipment in a set-up that was easy when gaming at a pro level," says Mark Baron from We Are Collider. "This rig is perfect for Ben because we could investigate how he games/streams, meaning we have built a solution with him in mind. For example, he streams from a converted garage with open brick walls, so we knew echo would be a huge challenge, so his desk was custom made to include LED illuminated acoustic panels to the rear, enabling us to manage the audio when he broadcasts."
Stokes plays Warzone with England teammates Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad
© Greg Coleman / Red Bull Content Pool
"The fact that we were able to start from scratch, (typically a gaming rig is built over years) with different elements being integrated over time, meaning fixes need to be found. This system was built with everything already considered, from the lighting to the curved screens."
Armed with this new setup, Stokes esports and streaming venture, 4Cast, is aiming to pick up even more steam. Teaming up with England teammates Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad, Stokes intends to take his newly minted streaming career to the next level. As Stokes himself says, streaming himself playing Warzone offers a new and more intimate way to connect with fans on a platform that hasn’t been used by too many sportsmen to date.
We shout at each other, we swear at each other, we do all the stuff that people do when they play Call of Duty with their friend
“I don’t want to give too much away, but we’re in the early stages of this and there’s huge aspirations for it,” he asks when we enquire where he wants to see 4Cast go in the coming months and years. “There’s been a lot of planning going into it. It doesn't just revolve around online streaming, in the future. It’s a great opportunity for us to show how enjoyable this game is, and how relatable we are in it.
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Ben Stokes is one of the world's best cricketers
© Greg Coleman
“We’re not ranting and raving that we’re unbelievable at this game, because we’re not. We play this game like every other person in this world does: because we enjoy it. It’s great craic with your mates, you have some great moments on there – and some hilarious ones because we’re so bad! – and that’s what we want to show. There are that many streamers these days that you just can’t relate to because they’re incredibly talented in the game, and if you try to do what they do, you just… can’t… because you’re not on their level.”
“We aren’t that good, and the reaction I’ve had on my Twitch page has been down that route – people saying ‘this is great to watch, because I do that all the time, too! It’s good to see that I’m not the only one that makes these mistakes!’ We shout at each other, we swear at each other, we do all the stuff that people do when they play Call of Duty with their friends.”
But, atrocious win-rates and comically bad skill levels aside, Stokes has high hopes for 4Cast and the future of esports – especially in relation to traditional sports. “A good marker of success for me is that we see 4Cast in the esports game in five to six years’ time,” Stokes hints. “Will we see more crossover between traditional sports and esports in the future? There’s a very simple answer to that: yes.
“And will I be an active part of that? We’ll just have to wait and see.”
That setup in full:
- 3 x 27" Samsung Gaming Monitors
- Infinity X109 Gaming PC
- Dell AW510K Keyboard
- Dell AW510M Mouse
- Razer Wolverine V2 Controller
- 2 x Elgato Keylight Air Lighting Panels
- Elgato Lightstrip
- 3 x Logitech StreamCam
- Elgato Stream Deck
- Astro 150 Wireless Headset
- Netgear XR500 Router
- Elgato Wave 2 Pro Audio Broadcast Mic Bundle
- Razer Nommo Chroma Speakers
4Cast is the name of Stokes' new streaming venture
© Greg Coleman / Red Bull Content Pool
